Support Pushback at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aaronmate

After weeks of US claims that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent, Vladimir Putin instead recognized the breakaway republics of Luhansk and Donetsk. The decision has triggered a new round of US-led sanctions while bringing attention to rebel-held areas, where,  according to UN figures on the Donbas war, 80% of civilian casualties have occurred since 2018.

Professor Richard Sakwa analyzes the factors behind Putin's move, and its likely consequences. Putin's decision, he says, comes after Kiev refused to implement the 2015 Minsk accords, which could have ended the conflict, and a longstanding US-driven project to expand NATO to Russia's borders. 

Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include “Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands” and his latest, “Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War.”

Rejecting NATO expansion, Putin recognizes forgotten Donbas civilians

Abby Martin is joined by longtime anti-war organizer Brian Becker to cover everything you need to know about the war in Ukraine, what it means for the future and how we can fight for peace.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introducing Brian Becker

02:15 - US unipolar authority & capitalist takeover of Russia

12:30 - NATO expansion and wars since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia's red line & failed negotiations  

21:52 - Russia intervention in Syria to defend Assad from US war 

28:00 - Explanation of 2014 coup

33:26 -  US role in regime change, origin of struggle in east Ukraine, Crimea

40:57 - Civil war in Donetsk & Luhansk, US trains and arms insurgency against Russians

40:50 - "Denazifying Ukraine" Truth about nazi influence in Ukraine

45:30 - Why US fueled conflict in East Ukraine

47:00 - Cancelling the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty & Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

51:08 - Abby’s views as an anti-war activist 

54:17 - Putin's anti-communist speech 

1:05:07 - Putin justification for the invasion 

1:07:03 - Western media hypocrisy & eurocentrism

1:10:29 - Russia invasion for regime change in Ukraine

1:15:23 - Costs/benefits of war for Russia 

1:18:00 - Why US is waging war with Russia   

1:23:48 - Tectonic shift in global politics & risks of war in a multipolar world

1:29:53 - Why disbanding NATO is important anti-war demand 

1:35:42 - Minsk agreement explanation

1:37:26 - Obama vs Trump policy, Biden cabinet instrumental in coup 

1:46:01 - Impact of sanctions on Russia &countries dependent on Russia

1:49:13 - How anti-war activists can prepare for what's next

Get EXCLUSIVE Empire Files content, and keep us independent and ad-free, at www.patreon.com/empirefiles

FOLLOW // twitter.com/EmpireFiles // twitter.com/AbbyMartin
LIKE // www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles
MERCH // empirefiles.store

Ukraine: Questions for the Anti-War Movement

The epic story of how African Americans fought for the right to be armed to fight the Confederacy and then, as soldiers, led a revolution to defeat slavery.

Get EXCLUSIVE Empire Files content, and keep us independent and ad-free, at www.patreon.com/empirefiles

FOLLOW // twitter.com/EmpireFiles // twitter.com/AbbyMartin
LIKE // www.facebook.com/TheEmpireFiles
MERCH // empirefiles.store

LIKE MEN OF WAR: How Black Soldiers Whipped the Confederacy

Intense bombing and fighting continues throughout Ukraine as Russia’s war enters its second week. Western countries have imposed a sanctions regime on Russia that is battering the economy and hitting workers the hardest. Eugene Puryear and Brian Becker discuss the latest on the war and explore the essential historical context, establishing five basic principles and points of unity for progressive forces in the West. They also discuss how the question of war and imperialism has served as an essential litmus test for socialists in the past. 

Eugene Puryear is the host of the BreakThrough News podcast The Punch Out, and co-host of the BT live video show The Freedom Side.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

Ukraine War: Who’s to Blame and What’s the Solution? A Socialist View

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, and Walter Smolarek discuss the devastating sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and its allies and the frenzy to boycott and denounce all things Russian. They also discuss International Women’s Day, the anniversary of the Bloody Sunday attack on civil rights demonstrators in Selma and the struggle for voting rights today, the far right convoy converging on Washington, D.C., and more.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

How the U.S. Used Ukrainians as Pawns in its Imperial Game

On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how Congress has allocated billions of dollars  in military spending at breakneck speed to fuel the war in Ukraine, and is moving to permanently expand the U.S./NATO war machine -- but no such urgency can be found when it comes to the plight of the tens of millions of people going hungry, experiencing homelessness, or living in deep poverty in the richest country on earth. And all the while, capitalists grow even richer off these injustices.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram.  We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you  consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more  are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

War Profiteers Cash In

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy gave a high profile address to Congress calling for stepped up US involvement in the war — especially through the imposition of a “no-fly zone”. While this idea is presented as a humanitarian move, the reality is that such an action would mean that the two largest nuclear-armed powers would be in a state of war with each other. Brian and Eugene Puryear discuss this and more of the latest developments in the Ukraine war. 

Eugene Puryear is the host of the BreakThrough News podcast The Punch Out, and co-host of the BT live video show The Freedom Side.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

Why a Ukraine “No-Fly Zone” is a One-Way Ticket to Nuclear War

Richard Becker speaks at the Party for Socialism and Liberation's forum "Crisis in Ukraine & Anti-war Analysis", discussing the latest events in Europe, and the roots of the crisis.

Richard Becker Discusses the Crisis in Ukraine

On today's episode Brian Becker and Prof. Richard Wolff  discuss  the still increasing costs of many necessities, as the United States  flounders in the economic crisis that's now been ongoing for several  years. To what extent is the war in Ukraine having an effect?

Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization  Democracy at Work. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com.

Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.

U.S. Capitalists Scapegoat Russia for Soaring Prices

After decades of nonviolent resistance, abolitionists take up arms and start killing pro-slavery forces in the lead to the Civil War. Prequel to our recent episode 'LIKE MEN OF WAR: How Black Soldiers Whipped the Confederacy' with Eugene Puryear of BreakThrough News.

BLEEDING KANSAS: The Civil War Before The Civil War

The chief of the UK Army, Patrick Sanders, told his troops to prepare for World War III with Russia. Benjamin Norton discusses how Western imperialists are threatening nuclear apocalypse to try to save their declining empires.

VIDEO: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MKO1v65OSt0

British army chief tells troops prepare for World War III with Russia

News and views about the world for those who want to change it, with Brian Becker

Ukraine War: Who’s to Blame and What’s the Solution? A Socialist View

The Socialist Program with Brian Becker